Hopper outlet construction



Feb. 6, 1962 Filed Dec. 28. 1959 G. a. DOREY 3,020,093

HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Geo/ye B D0r% Feb. 6, 1962 G. B. DOREY HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1959 INV EN TOR. Gearge B Feb. 6, 1962 G. B. DOREY HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 28, 1959 INVENTOR. Geo/ye Z3 flore y, BY

Feb. 6, 1962 G. a. DOREY HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 28, 1959 RN fig Q ii QM Q Q ww MN Wm \m\% FII IL Q g Q ll N uvmvron 560C965 Z70f9 W W United States Patent Gfifice v 3,020,093 Fatented Feb. 6, 1962 3,020,093 HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION George B. Dorey, Westmount, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of'lllinois Filed Dec. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 862,406 4 Claims. (Cl. 30252) This invention relates to improved means for unloading hoppers and more particularly the hoppers of socalled covered hopper cars employed for handling pulverulent lading which may be unloaded either by gravity or pneumatically by being entrained in an air stream and evacuated through a conduit system.

In cars of the identified type having provision for selectively unloading either by gravity or pneumatically it is common practice to extend conduit means centrally through the hopper which has the effect of restricting the discharge by gravity by hindering the flow of lading. It is a particular object of this invention to provide a construction which will maintain an unobstructed centrally located gravity discharge opening while providing conduit means for withdrawing lading by suction. The invention contemplates a structure having a central discharge area with conduit chambers extending around the sides of the said discharge area with provision for pneumatic withdrawal of lading inwardly from the central part of the opening towards the sides.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a foursided hopper with an inner lining spaced from the main hopper walls to provide a vacuum chamber around the four sides of the opening with provision for admittance of lading in the vacuum chamber together with an air intake opening in the outer wall of the chamber and an exit opening in the opposite outer wall of the chamber for the ejection of air and lading.

The invention also resides in certain refinement of parts and details of construction associated with the improvement such as shown on the accompanying drawings and described hereinafter.

For further comprehension of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein the improvement is shown as applied to a covered hopper car such as employed by railroads for handling bulk commodi-ties.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevational View taken through the lower portion of a hopper car and showing substantially one half the width of the car.

FIG. 2 is a vertical side elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from left to right.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2 with parts of the floor plates eliminated and certain other parts broken away.

FIG. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on a line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

In said drawings the car structure is indicated by a center sill and a side wall 11 having an inwardly directed lower angle flange 12. Interposed between the center sill 10 and side wall 11 is a hopper generally indicated at 13. The hopper is duplicated on the opposite side of the center sill 10 but, inasmuch as the structure of the various hoppers is of similar construction, the description herein will be confined to only one of such hoppers.

The hopper 13 includes inner and outer side walls 14 and 15 which meet with longitudinally oppositely sloping walls 16 and 17 to form the foursided load containing hopper 13 having a discharge opening 19. The hopper 18 is bordered by a frame 20 having walls 21, 22, 23 and 24 which overlie the'lower portion of hopper walls 14, 15, 16 and 17 respectively. The frame 20 is provided with ledges 25, 26, 27 and 28 which underlie a sliding gate 29 to support the same in closed position. A slotted opening 30 is provided at one end of the frame 20 for the passage of the gate 29 therethrough and extension rails 31 and 32 extend beyond the slotted opening 30 for supporting the gate 29 in open position.

The gate 29 is provided on its underside with toothed rack means 33 which in cooperation with rotatable geared pinions 3434 provide convenient means for moving the gate. The pinions 34 34 are non-rotatably mounted on an operating shaft 35 which in turn is rotatably supported adjacent each end in bearings 36 and 37. An operating head 38, which is fitted on one end of the shaft 35, is provided with a series of openings 39 for receiving an operating bar as indicated at 39a.

In order to adapt the car for pneumatic unloading without unduly restricting its efiiciency as a gravity unloading car, inner floor plates 40, 41, 42 and 43 are provided to form an inner lining to form a vacuum chamber 44 extending along the sides of the hopper. The said plates 40 to 43, inclusive, have their lower margins 40a, 41a, 42a and 43a spaced slightly above the upper surface 29a of the gate 29 to provide communicating openings 44a extending between the hopper 13 and the vacuum chamber 44 for withdrawal of lading from the hopper 13 by suction.

Openings are provided at each end of the hopper 13 in oppositely facing hopper walls 16 and 17 as indicated at 45 and 46 respectively, the opening 45 being for the admission of air and opening 46 for the passage of air and entrained lading.

Leading to the opening 45 is a conduit 47 having a swinging damper gate 48 at its outer end for regulating the volume of entering air. The gate 48 is hinged at its lower end at 49 and swings upwardly from the open position as shown by conventional dot and dash lines (FIG. 2) to the closed position and is there retained by a catch 50. Springs 5151 on the gate 48 frictionally engage the inner side faces of the conduit 47 to retain said gate 48 in one of its adjusted positions.

Leading from the exit opening 46 is the exit or discharge conduit 52 whichis provided at its outer end with a nozzle portion 53 for connection with a source of reduced pressure (not shown).

The nozzle portion 53 is arranged to receive a removable cap 54. The cap 54 is arranged on its outer side with radially outwardly extending flange sections 55 disposed in opposite facing relation and each occupying less than one half of the outer circular face of the cap 54. The flange sections 55 each have one flange 56 inclined helically to provide a camming action for advancing the cap 54 axially on turning movement thereof upon cooperation with similarly helically advancing faces of flange receiving members 57 on the outer end of the conduit 52. e

The cap 54, when in operative position, is locked against reverse opening movement by means of a pivoted catch 58 that is adapted to be swung in the path of movement of a lug 59 formed on the cap 54.

The structure is such as to allow for discharging either by gravity or by suction. Upon arrival at an unloading station devoid of facilities for pneumatic unloading, the

load may be released by the simple expedient of moving the sliding gate 29 to open position. Should the unloading station be equipped with facilities for pneumatic unloading, the ejecting nozzle 53 may be connected with a source of reduced pressure and the damper gate 48 opened whereupon atmospheric air enters the inlet con-' duit 47 and thence into the vacuum chamber 44 in the desired volume. The lading is thereby entrained with the air through the openings 44a toward the side walls 14, 1S and '17 "of the hopper '13 into the vacuum chamber 44 and thence out of the ejecting nozzle 53.

The arrangement providing for pneumatic withdrawal of lading from the central section 60 of the hopper area defined by the inner floor plates 45) to '43, inclusive, toward the sides of the hopper 13 is advantageous in that such residue of lading as remains on the sliding gate29 after completion of the pneumatic unloading operation is'concentrated in 'one small Eheap centrally of 'the opening 60, indicated by conventional dot and dash lines -61 and 62 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively and may be readily discharged by opening 'movernentof the sliding gate 29.

'What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a load containing hopper for the downward flow of lading having a central gravity discharge area and a movable fiat floor closing the discharge area, a vacuum chamber extending around the dischargearea, passageways aroundthevacuum chamber spaced from the movable floor whereby lading can fiow from said discharge .area and into the vacuum chamber, and means providing an opening in the vacuum chamber for the intake-ofair tosaid chamber and another opening from said chamber for the evacuation of air and lading from said chamber.

2. In combination, :a load containing hopper for the downward flow of lading having an opening and a movable floorat thebottom'of the hopper, said hopper adjacentthe floor having inner and-outer walls spaced from each other to form a vacuum chamber extending around the discharge opening, said inner walls having the lower marginal edges thereof spaced from the uppersurface of said floor to provide openings therebetween for the flow of lading inwardly from the central portion of said hopper into the vacuum chamber, means providing an opening in one of the outer hopper Walls for the intake -'of air into'the vacuum chamber, and means providing an opening in another of the outer walls for the evacuation of air and lading from said vacuum chamber.

3. In combination, a foursided load containing hopper for the downward flow of lading having a centrally disposed discharge area and a flat movable floor for closing the discharge area, means for withdrawing lading by .suctionfrom the central portion of the hopper and directing the same toward the sides of the .hopper, said means including a vacuum chamber extending around the four sides of the hopper and having passageways along the movable floor for the movement of lading from the hopper proper into the vacuum chamber, and means providing openingsin opposite sides 'o'f'the vacuum chamber, one of said openings providing for the intake of air to said chamber and the opposite opening leading from said chamber to provide evacuation of air and lading from saidchamber.

4. In combination, a load containing hopper for the downward flow of'lading having a gravity discharge area and a fiat movable 'fioor closing the discharge area, means for withdrawing lading from the central portion of the hopper towardthe sides of the hopper including a vacuum chamber-surrounding the discharge area and having communicating'openings between the hopper and the vacuum chamber for the passage of lading, and means providing an opening 'to the vacuum chamber for the intake of air to said chamber and another opening leading from said chamber for the evacuation of air and lading from said chamber.

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